Guthrie's 'Pride and Prejudice' is lovely but shallow

A decade ago, Guthrie chief Joe Dowling directed a production of "Pride and Prejudice" that was so broad in its comic hi-jinks that one critic -- OK, me -- theorized that the play was premised on the idea that Jane Austen was the fourth Stooge. Ten years, a different adaptation and a new theater later, Dowling's take on the tale isn't nearly so antic. Nor is it, except for portions of the second act, particularly entertaining.

Austen's novel can be played many ways, including as a protofeminist manifesto, a comedy of manners or a social critique of the Regency period of British history. Dowling opts for a lovely-but-shallow staging with no perspective, no stakes and little resonance.

Let's start with the lovely part: Alexander Dodge's set -- featuring a revolving stage within a revolving stage that sometimes impresses and sometimes dizzies -- is a cavalcade of topiary, arches and tall windows, veritably oozing elegance from every rounded surface. Matthew J. LeFebvre's costumes are a sumptuous match, using countless yards of fabric to articulate character, class, mood and motivation with striking precision and beauty.

It's a pity that the rest of the production isn't as crisp. The play begins with a party scene that immediately brings to mind the Fezziwig Ball from any number of past Guthrie productions of "A Christmas Carol." But that sense of liveliness dissipates almost immediately in a first act that feels so long that its chronology could be measured by carbon dating.

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With the extensive -- and sluggishly chronicled by adaptor Simon Reade -- exposition accomplished, things pick up in the second act, allowing a bit more of Austen's wit to shine through. The last 15 minutes or so are blithe and perfectly amiable, but it's a long way to go to get there.

Much of the buzz about this production has to do with Dowling's most recent foray into star-casting: plucking Vincent Kartheiser from TV's "Mad Men" to play Mr. Darcy. Unlike so many screen stars who take the summer to slum in legitimate theatre, Kartheiser -- a Twin Cities native and Children's Theatre Company alumnus -- actually looks comfortable on stage and plays well within the ensemble. Resisting the temptation to borrow any of the jerkish mannerisms of his TV persona Pete Campbell, Kartheiser instead carves out a Mr. Darcy who is differently disagreeable in the first half, then slowly allows the glacier of the character's superiority to melt in the glow of the woman he loves.

That woman, of course, is Elizabeth Bennet, played by Ashley Rose Montondo, who brings a youthful vigor to the role but doesn't quite convey the intellectual heft that Austen fans might expect. Her ripostes don't spark, and her presence, while pleasant, is decidedly delible.

The performances of the rest of the cast are generally very good, but the actors seem to be appearing in different productions of the same play. Suzanne Warmanen, as Mrs. Bennet, for instance, sneaks to the very edge of caricature in a larger-than-life performance, a quality shared by Kris L. Nelson's turn as the obsequious vicar Mr. Collins.

That's all fine and good, but those performances don't blend with the narrower performances by Kartheiser, Montondo and others, such as Peter Thomson's wry, weary Mr. Bennett. Sally Wingert splits the difference as the imperious Lady Catherine de Bourgh, in a crackling performance that is at once humorously scathing and properly proportioned.

"Pride and Prejudice" was a last-minute substitution on the Guthrie calendar this year, slipped into the summer slot presumably to provide some light, bright fare that also would capitalize on the current enthusiasm for British imports like "Downton Abbey." Rather than enthusiasm, though, this staging tends to evoke a shrug.